Vol. 558 No. 2
60 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the main findings of the review group on the passport for investment scheme; if it is intended to implement the recommendations in the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23706/02]
On 20 April 1998, the Government abolished the investment-based naturalisation scheme. In doing so it also decided that the Minister should initiate a review of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act to see how it might facilitate investment and, if in the course of that review information emerged that would warrant additional legislative measures, he should consider this. To assist him in conducting the review, the Minister established a review group, comprising representatives of his Department, of which chaired the group, the Departments of Finance, Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Foreign Affairs, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland – together with two outside experts.
The report of the review group on investment-based naturalisation in Ireland was brought by me before Government in July 2002. I arranged for its publication on 4 August 2002 and a number of copies were placed in the Oireachtas Library at that time. The conclusions of the review group are set out in detail on pages 27 and 28 of the report. In short, the group's conclusion was that, given the growth of the Irish economy, the consequent sharp reduction in unemployment and the improvement in the availability of venture capital, it is inappropriate and unnecessary to introduce an investment-based scheme. A majority believed that the Government should keep open the option of introducing such a scheme, on a statutory basis and on the lines of the rules set out in the report, in the event of a changed economic or employment situation while a minority were opposed to investment-based naturalisation in principle.
I informed the House in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 5 on 17 October that I had always been opposed to the principle behind the scheme and that there were no circumstances in which I would recommend to Government that we should return to a situation, either with or without statute, where Irish citizenship can be bartered for economic reasons.
